The fad is supposed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by using the ‘greenest’ of all fuels.

But scientists have discovered that burning wood in stoves, boilers and open fires is as bad as having a car with older-generation ‘dirty’ diesel engines.

The revelation comes as a blow to fashionable families who believe they are being eco-friendly, while saving money on energy bills.

A new study shows that Birmingham – and nine other UK cities – suffered an increase of up to 13 per cent in air pollution because of the stampede to buy wood-burning stoves.

The revelation comes ten months after the Sunday Mercury revealed that an urgent action plan was being drawn up in the Midlands to combat the scourge of dirty air because five towns and cities in the region were at high risk.

The main culprit for air pollution remains motor vehicles, caught in slow-moving and stationary traffic.

But, say scientists, the danger is being increased by burning wood for domestic fuel because it produces tiny particles – known as particulates – which can ruin human health, triggering heart attacks and breathing complaints such as asthma and bronchitis.

Dr Gary Fuller, lead researcher at King’s College, London, said the levels of particulates in the air increases in the evenings and at weekends when families light up their wood-burners and open fires.

“Although the apparent carbon neutrality of wood-burning may make it appear to be environmentally-friendly, there is growing evidence of adverse health effects from wood smoke,” he warned.

“Even modest domestic wood-burning may lead to particulate exposures comparable to those from traffic sources. We need to manage urban emissions to ensure that increased wood-burning does not offset schemes to reduce traffic pollution.”

Air pollution is one of the greatest public health issues of modern times, causing some 60,000 premature deaths a year in the UK, half of them attributable to particulates.

Meanwhile, wood-fired energy is booming with the Stove Industry Alliance saying that 200,000 wood-burners are installed each year, with ‘several million’ of the UK’s 24 million homes already having them.

FACTFILE

Particulates – 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair – can play havoc with human health.

They are being blamed for causing, or aggravating, a wide range of medical problems, including angina and heart attacks, cancer, asthma, bronchitis, Type 2 diabetes and even dementia.

Unsurprisingly, the ten most-polluted neighbourhoods in Britain are all in London.

But outside the capital, Sandwell and Leicester are joint fifth in a national leagie table, with Birmingham and Nottingham tying at ninth.

All five areas have levels significantly above World Health Organisation recommendations.

The Midlands faces a double whammy because of the heavily used motorway network and vehicles belching out fumes in traffic jams.

Experts say the peril is a major public health hazard, second only to smoking.